This is a reformatted softback full-color cover and original two column format black in white 8.5x11 edition (not a facsimile) of author Marvin Arnold's widely acclaimed 1989 coffee table edition. Includes hundreds of images, photos and automotive art of the early Lincoln automotive era. Of all the classic American motorcar manque stories, the story of the Lincoln personifies the American dream better than any other. The evolution of the Lincoln and Continental parallels the American automobile industry. Everyone who owns or appreciates fine motorcars like the Lincoln will enjoy reading this book. The book combines the story of the manque with the technical and developmental aspects of the automobile itself. The text is both interesting and factually informative. The appendixes to this book provide production figures and detailed information on the various models. Beginning with the coming of the automobile to the Americas in the late 1800s and concluding with the beginning of postwar automotive era, this book is an inside look at the forces, which began and ended the classic American automobile era. EARLY YEARS -Henry Martin Leland founds Cadillac and Lincoln. Henry Ford builds an automotive empire and his son, Edsel Ford, takes over Lincoln. The Model L Lincolns (1919-1930) are recognized as the finest coachbuilt motorcars in the world and become the aristocrats automobile in a time of opulence. CLASSIC YEARS - An era of Automobile Salons and custom coachbuilts. These are the chauffeur-driven Landaulets and Broughams, the Roadsters and Sedans of the rich and famous. The period of the Model K Lincoln (1931-1940) ushers in the V-12 engine and classic craftsmanship. The world is changing and soon these massive motorcars would give way to that progress and become the last of the big iron. STREAMLINE YEARS - These are the designs influenced by the age of Art Deco and aerodynamic appearances. The Zephyr automobile arrives (1935-1948), in an era of reconstruction and colossal World's Fairs. New manufacturing techniques, like unit body construction, create an all new model of automobile. From these designs evolve the famous Lincoln Continental, perceived today as the only modern classic. MODERN YEARS - America survives a world war and gets on with the business of building a better nation. These new designs are influenced by the tanks and bombers that preceded them. They are modern designs manufactured with an outdated technology. The bulbous era Lincolns and Cosmopolitans (1948-1951) are not yet the modern cars of today, but a major leap in the evolution to that end result.
About the Author: Marvin Arnold grew up in Ohio and Oklahoma. In 1959, he and his wife moved to Dallas, Texas, where they have made their home ever since. The author is a thirty-year veteran of the aerospace industry. He is a senior systems design engineer and an experienced commercial pilot. Over the years, he has owned more than one hundred makes and models of automobiles and has personally restored several dozen different models of motorcars. Many of these cars were Lincolns and Continentals. He recently finished restoring a 1941 and 1942 Continental Coupe. The author is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and a certified Grand National Antique Automobile Clubs of America member. In 1952, the author purchased his first Lincoln, a used 1939 Zephyr Coupe, which began his long time interest in this Marque. His famous book has been nationally recognized as the eminent authority on the early years of the Lincoln Motor Company. This book reflects his many hours of research on the subject of the Lincoln and Continental automobiles as well as the men and organizations, which created them.